LATEST NEWS: A very remarkable Southampton player has returned to first-team training following an injury.

Chelsea agree £58m deal with Southampton for Belgian midfielder
Romeo Lavia is being chased by Liverpool and Chelsea; Reds struck a deal first but Blues have now agreed terms with Southampton over a move; Lavia made it clear he wants to join Chelsea; Blues beat Liverpool to the signing of Moises Caicedo from Brighton

The deal is worth an initial £53m plus £5m in add-ons and Lavia has completed his medical.

Personal terms between Chelsea and Lavia are not expected to be a problem.

Liverpool had agreed a deal worth £60m with Southampton for Lavia on Sunday night, but the player has made it clear he wants to go to Chelsea.

 

Liverpool have already missed out on Moises Caicedo to Chelsea. The Blues signed Caicedo from Brighton worth a British record £115m. That followed Liverpool having a £111m offer accepted only for the 21-year-old to inform them he intended to join Chelsea.

Chelsea want to bring in two midfielders in this window and talks between them and Leeds United over the signing of Tyler Adams broke down last week after the parties were unable to reach an agreement.

Southampton had initially been holding firm on their £50m valuation of 19-year-old Lavia. Chelsea had made an offer of £48m last week, while Liverpool had seen three previous offers turned down this summer.

Lavia has four years left on his Southampton contract after joining from Manchester City last summer but was always expected to leave after Saints were relegated from the Premier League last season.

The Belgium international did not come off the bench during Southampton’s win over Sheffield Wednesday on the opening night of the season, while he was not named in the squad for the Carabao Cup defeat at Gillingham on Tuesday or the 4-4 draw with Norwich on Saturday.

James Savundra explains how Chelsea are keeping in line with Financial Fair Play rules despite their huge spending since the Todd Boehly takeover.
Who will be on the move this summer when the transfer window opens on June 14 and closes at 11pm on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?

Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports’ digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.